Saving costs on Microsoft Office

The cost of IT (hardware or software) is ever increasing in our day and age….or so it feels at least. The past 20 years have moved at the speed of light but the one biggest IT inventions of the past 20 years has been the internet. Can any of us predict the next evolution or progression of this technology? I know I can’t.

One should however, question how the internet can add value in one’s life? Now I think we can all quickly answer:

1. I no longer need to spend hours in a library to research encyclopaedias, I can just “Google it”.
2. I can store all my media on my Facebook profile (photo albums do not need to sit on a shelf gathering dust).
3. I have a voice through Mixit, Twitter, Gmail etc.

With all this said, the new kid on the block is called “cloud computing”. What is cloud computing? It is not a piece of soft cotton I can tell you that.

Cloud computing refers to services available on the internet, usually at no charge…such as Facebook, Google etc.  Until recently, cloud computing has been directed at the individual more so than companies. This however is changing and it is changing at a rapid pace. We now need to educate ourselves about cloud computing and what exactly is available.

The purpose of this piece is to inform you that one of the most basic and most used software platforms is now available in “the cloud”.  That’s right; you can get Microsoft Office online. You no longer need to buy Microsoft Office. All you require is an internet connection and voilà, Bob’s your uncle. Microsoft Office is free on the cloud!

Brilliant isn’t it? Well that depends whether you have quality bandwidth and access to it at all times. As indicated above, the only thing you need (besides a computer) is an internet connection when you want to use it. So that is the catch 22.

I hope that the CFOs’ and Financial Directors’ ears are peaking up, as this is significant. Imagine all the software costs that companies can save if this is structured correctly. Yearly licence fees will be something of the past. Want to test it for yourself? Go to Skydrive info. Create your own Windows Live ID today and start testing it (http://skydrive.live.com/). This is just s taste of what is available on the cloud.

Just remember, you need a quality, uninterrupted internet connection to make this work. We have a responsibility today to invest in robust telecommunication infrastructure for our children and their children.

Enjoy the cloud!!!

Alec Candiotes

Chief Financial Officer

Selling technology as opposed to the technology of selling

Selling technology is a very specific portion of the overall genre of selling.  Sales in itself is often, and in some cases with good reason, known as the “Dark Arts”.  Everyone has had some kind of encounter with this, from the persistence of telesales people down to the smooth operator punting a multi-million Rand marketing campaign, we all at some time get exposed to someone trying to sell us something.

The key in all of this is being able to identify what is being sold to us as opposed to the person doing the selling and it is this fundamental concept that forms the basis of our sales philosophy at Comsol.  We are in the fortunate position of being able to offer a quality product to our market as opposed to the poor road warrior who tries his utmost to sell an inferior product in order to make his quota.

While this in no way means we can be complacent as a sales division, it does allow us the crucial advantage of being able to engage with customers knowing that what we are offering is truly something that the market wants.  It allows Comsol’s sales professionals to show full transparency to customers, secure in the knowledge that our offering is one of quality.

I am a firm believer that sales people can only be truly effective if they believe in the product they are selling and pass this passion on to customers.  The metronomic sales person who relies on a tired and worn sales pitch will never be truly effective in the dynamic world of selling technology.....perhaps pencils....but not world class, multi-million Rand networks..

Bearing all of this in mind, I can confidently say that while we may not have divisions of hundreds of salespeople at Comsol and while we may not cut it in the world of selling gym contracts, we certainly do have a focussed, knowledgeable and passionate team of sales professionals who believe in what Comsol as a business offers to the world of Telecommunications.  And it is this personality trait as opposed to the generic, silky sales skills of the “pre-owned” car salesman that drives Comsol to even greater success.

Darren Morgan

Chief Commercial Officer

CTO's take on WiMax versus LTE

When looking at the difference between WiMax and LTE, it might be beneficial to define 4G technology first.  4G is known as any mobile technology that can provide more than 100Mbps throughput over an all IP based infrastructure.  It allows for increased coverage, higher speed and capacity.  A 4G tower can offer coverage to an outsized area of about 800 km2 and a network installation does not necessarily require the operator to acquire physical rights of way, which allows for faster deployment.

If we examine WiMax and LTE, it shows that both are IP networks based on OFDM technology and designed to move data rather than voice.  The difference appears to be in installation, business goals and deployment models. Where LTE (Long-Term Evolution) is regarded as the next generation for cellular mobile technology, WiMax has its roots in the wireless broadband access industry.

WiMax comprises a complete services portfolio across a broad spectrum of frequencies for full deployment whereas with LTE, there may be a concern about the ability to reuse 3G infrastructure for equivalent service sets.  With regards to this, it is estimated that WiMax has a three year lead on LTE as it uses already standard based technology.  This also has the advantage of being free from legacy burdens, as well as not having any of the proprietary interfaces or royalties payable to manufacturers.  LTE has to work with existing networks, and as such, is mostly aimed at existing deployments.  WiMax on the other hand, is aimed at primarily new fixed to mobile deployments.

Another difference is that WiMax is based on an IEEE standard (802.16), and LTE is a 3GPP development. This is significant as IEEE is viewed to be more supportive of open standards than LTE. This fact is clearly illustrated in the uptake of chipset manufacturers of the WiMAX standard and the prevalence of these chips in consumer electronics. In essence, this means that WiMax equipment will become less expensive and may in turn lead to a WiMax network being cheaper to build compared to a LTE network.

In future, however, it is probable that these two technologies will become indistinguishable from each other.  As Robert Syputa, senior analyst for Maravedis, mentioned in an interview with IT Business Edge: “Now we are able to use multiple radio technologies on one piece of silicon. Just like in the cellular world today, we find different technologies in the same chip. In the future, the chips will be able to handle both WiMax and LTE. There will be some differences in IPR, and we will find multimode WiMax/LTE chips. If the user has an agreement to use both networks, he'll be able to use either WiMax or LTE.”

It would appear then that ultimately, the consumer will win as she or he would select a network based on the content richness of such a network.

Matie Strydom
Chief Technical Officer

Welcome from the CEO

Over the years, Comsol has earned a reputation for being a specialist in the wireless solutions arena.  This is the consequence of more than a decade’s experience, valuable relationships with vendors and access to the best of breed products on the market.

Comsol has always been an industry leader, using the latest technologies and most advanced products.  Therefore, we are extending this pioneering culture in other avenues, such as the social networking arena.  In keeping up with generation Y, we will use this blog to share our opinions regarding the latest trends in the industry as well as a tool to enhance general communication.

I therefore hope you find this space as useful and informative as we intend it to be.  Please feel free to leave us your comments.

Kind Regards

Iain Stevenson

Chief Executive Officer